Stabilizers are a perfectly sensible balance choice and mechanic. Schema's second reason for stabilizers (as quoted by Valiant in his post) - that they be a mechanic used to tie ship size to reactor size - is a perfectly valid reason. Moreover, I firmly agree that players who value aesthetics should not be inherently penalized for their play-styles by the mechanics choices of the game. Does this inherently make PVP players' and aesthetics players' ships equal? No. And nor should it. However the stabilizer mechanic puts players who value aesthetics and players who value PVP and PVE on a more even playing field. Both against each other, and against the environment. Moreover, and most importantly, the new reactor system drastically decreases the learning curve and increases the accessibility of the game in general. This is important for not only attracting new players, but for overall player retention as well.
